Bhishma Dwadashi 2026
Bhishma Dwadashi 2026 falls on Friday, Friday, January 30, 2026. Observed on: magha shukla 12.
Exact date, puja muhurat & city-wise timings for Bhishma Dwadashi 2026
Key Information
Festival Date
Friday, January 30, 2026
2026 Calendar Context
Weekday
Friday
Vikram Samvat
2083
Shaka Samvat
1948
This year Bhishma Dwadashi falls on a Friday, 10 days earlier than 2025 (2025-02-09) — typical lunar-calendar drift.
Falling on a Friday gives the day a Shukra emphasis — relationship-related rites and white/silver offerings carry extra weight, traditionally favourable for women's vratas.
The 2025 observance fell on Sunday, 2025-02-09 — this year arrives 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, the familiar 11-day shift of the unmodified lunar year.
Looking ahead to 2027, Bhishma Dwadashi will fall on Thursday, 2027-02-18 (19 days later than this year). So planning ritual schedules across years means anchoring to the tithi rather than the Gregorian date.
Astronomical context for Bhishma Dwadashi 2026
On Friday, January 30, 2026, sunrise in Delhi (the reference city for this page) falls at 07:10 IST and sunset at 17:58 IST — a daylight span of 10h 48m. Across the six pan-Indian cities tabulated below, sunrise on this date varies from 06:16 (Kolkata) at the eastern edge to 07:13 (Mumbai) in the west — a 57-minute difference that drives the city-by-city muhurat shift you see in the table.
For Bhishma Dwadashi 2026, the central rite of udaya tithi (sunrise) depends on the Magha Shukla 12 being present during that window on 2026-01-30 — confirmed across 6 reference cities in this year's computation pass. Cities further east (Kolkata, Chennai) see the window open ~15-25 minutes before Delhi; cities west of Delhi (Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore) see it start later by a similar margin.
City-Wise Timings for Bhishma Dwadashi 2026
| City | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 7:10 AM | 5:58 PM |
| Mumbai | 7:13 AM | 6:30 PM |
| Bangalore | 6:46 AM | 6:19 PM |
| Chennai | 6:35 AM | 6:08 PM |
| Kolkata | 6:16 AM | 5:23 PM |
| Pune | 7:08 AM | 6:27 PM |
Click any city for detailed local timings, puja vidhi & samagri list
Why This Date?
Bhishma Dwadashi follows the Udaya Tithi rule – the festival is observed on the day when the required tithi prevails at sunrise. This is the default Dharmasindhu convention for festivals without a special time-window requirement.
Deity
Bhishma Pitamah / Lord Vishnu
Legend & History
Bhishma Pitamah, the grand patriarch of the Mahabharata, lay on a bed of arrows after the Kurukshetra war. He waited until Uttarayana (Sun's northward journey) to voluntarily give up his life, demonst… Read full legend →Show less ↑
Bhishma Pitamah, the grand patriarch of the Mahabharata, lay on a bed of arrows after the Kurukshetra war. He waited until Uttarayana (Sun's northward journey) to voluntarily give up his life, demonstrating mastery over death itself.
How to Observe
Offer tarpan (water oblations) to Bhishma. Devotees observe a fast and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, which Bhishma himself taught to Yudhishthira from his bed of arrows.
Significance
Honours one of the noblest characters in Hindu scripture – a man who sacrificed personal happiness for his father's wish, maintained his vow of celibacy lifelong, and chose the moment of his own death.
Looking for Bhishma Dwadashi 2027?
Bhishma Dwadashi 2027 Date & Muhurat